Tackiness and Lite Steam A Seam 2®
1. Buy the Steam A Seam 2 Lite® on the roll. In my classes, we have found that the sheets in the packages seem less tacky and are more difficult to get to stick to the fabric.
2. Be sure to wash all fabrics before using Lite Steam A Seam 2 as it will then stick to the fabric better.
3. If the Lite Steam A Seam 2 will not stick to a particular fabric, then layer (sandwich) the fabric, with fusible, with one side of the paper removed (sticky side against the back (wrong side) of the fabric), and the other piece of release paper still in place.
Place this sandwich on your ironing board and quickly run an iron, set on medium heat, over the fabric side of the sandwich. Check to see if the Steam a Seam is sticking to the fabric. If not, then repeat this procedure.
Be careful to not allow the iron to stay in one place too long or the fusible will melt and stick to the paper and the fabric and be a mess!
4. Instead of pins, use Wonderclips (see picture below), or a similar product. The problem with pins is that they will get a sitcky residue on them and then will leave black glue dots on lighter fabrics!
Fusing Lite Steam A Seam 2®
5. Use steam when fusing for effective fusing.
6. Fusing requires a lot of time (30 sec per section). If you have multiple layers it will take even longer. I fuse from the front and again from the back of the fabric.
7. Be sure that the faceplate of your iron is clean. You don’t want black marks on your art!
Needles
8. If when you are stitching and your sewing machine needle gets too gummed up, try going back to the fusing phase.
9. You can clean your sewing machine needle with rubbing alcohol. Put some on a piece of paper towel and rub the needle.
10. Use the right size needle for the thread that you are using. I tend to use finer threads 60 wt to 100wt). The advantage is that the finer needle size leaves smaller holes too.
I hope that these tips help you out when using Lite Steam A Seam 2 ®.
Hi Valerie. Thank you so much for the tips using steam a seam II lite. I only have the package sheets , I will find out if I can get it in roll here. I have learned to fuse thoroughly with steam, but maybe not as long as 30 sec. ar each section. This could be why I experience too much glue on the machine needle. Cheers from Karen Hvid
Great tips! I have a whole roll of it so I need to use it up.
Thanks for the info – I use this product a lot, and over time, have also managed to
avoid some of these problems. As usual, you are the best resource.
The Pellon Wonder Under is a fantastic fusible web – leaves the fabric really pliable and does not gum up your needle. It holds well. The only drawback I have found is that the glue needs to set for a few hours before trying to peel the paper backing off. Otherwise a much more user friendly product!
Nikki – Thanks for these tips!
Can you use steam a seam 2 lite on a any fabric/product?
You can use Steam a Seam on most fabrics. Any that are too textured may not work as well.
Is the Steam a seam 2 better than the lite steam a seam? What are the differences?
Thank you
The Lite Steam a Seam II is not as heavy/ stiff as the regular weight.
Is the holding power the same?
The holding power is the same.
I used Steam a Seam2 Lite, that was packaged on sheets.
VERY DISAPPOINTED.
All my hard work is coming unglued.
Now have to use fabric glue to hold it all down.
There must be a better product out there….
Is this before you fused it? I have found that it’s best to use the Steam a Seam 2 Lite that comes by the yard. The packaged sheets seem to have a problem with being tacky enough. It is very frustrating.
After using this product my machine now goes thunk, thunk, thunk. Also the thread seems to just sit on top. I have tried adjusting my tension, but to no success.
Karen
Is your machine making a thunking sound when you are sewing on the fabric with Steam a Seam? If so, check the size of your needle and make sure that you have fused it really well (30 sec/area with steam).
Can I fuse some pieces together, and LATER fuse the finished piece to a background (e.g. will the fused pieces stay together but also then fuse onto a larger piece?)
Tina – Steam a Seam 2 Lite is tacky and will stay in place without fusing. If you want to fuse some pieces together you will need to have a backing to fuse it onto. You can then cut out that piece and fuse it to a background by adding more fusible to the back.
i have lots of glue left on my fabric. How do i get it off?
I need a little more information. Is the glue on the right side of the fabric? Did the glue come from the iron?